Base Miles - Zone 2 is broken

It's time to redefine it

Zone 2 is like asking for a medium steak.

The chefs out there will argue about how long, how hot, and which cut.

But the person eating it, honestly, doesn’t give a crap about how long it was cooked for; they just know they asked for medium and know what a good steak tastes like.

I’m sure there’s science to it.

But when you cut open that steak (sorry to the vegans reading this) you can see instantly if it’s what you ordered.

You, who has no qualifications on cooking steak, knows.

Much like running.

Zone 2 is something most runners have a vibe on. They know what they like.

But their tastes often don’t match a coach’s tastes.

We have different tastes.

A quick glance at Strava and seeing someone doing their easy run at basically the same pace as the marathon they just blew up doing because they went off at ‘well done’ pace is enough to show anyone that the system is broken.

There’s a mismatch in vibes.

That same runner will be utterly convinced that they really did do their run in zone 2.

Mostly because they do it all the time and have become unaccustomed to the signs.

You know the signs…

When you’re doing that easy run… and a passerby can hear your out-of-breath panting. ;)

So, today, I’ve tried to simplify and fix things up.

The traditional zoning system:

I apologise for the shittiness of this table, I’m not proud of it. I prompted AI for long enough to get this into some sort of shape to share. It’s functional.

This is a textbook 5-zone system.

And I think this is a huge reason why we get so confused about intensities.

There are too many zones.

Zone 1 is basically walking. No one uses it.

Zone 5?

It's basically so blurred with zone 4 that, in the moment, no one really knows which one they’re in.

They’re just working hard.

Probably looking for the nearest bush to chunder into.

The alternative, borrowed from Dr Stephen Seiler, is an approach I use with most athletes now, which is to use three zones.

Easy.

Moderate.

HARD.

Like this:

It’s simple.

Which is why I love it as an approach.

And it’s so much easier to interpret as an athlete.

Simply ask yourself…

Am I barely breathing, slightly struggling, or are my legs about to give up because they’re being worked so hard?

That’s all I got for ya.

Just don’t get me started on the best way to have a steak.

(It’s medium btw ;) ).

Ant

P.S. Like this one?

Then, can I ask two small favours?

1 - Become a FREE subscriber.

2 - Share this post with someone who needs a lesson on training zones :)
(If you’re that friend - welcome 👋🏻)